Pollinator Gardens And Habitat Program Curriculum And .

Pollinator Gardens and Habitat ProgramCurriculum and ActivitiesThe Pollinator Partnership - 423 Washington St, 5th Floor - San Francisco, CA 94111-2339 - (415) 362-1137 - info@pollinator.orgCopyright Pollinator Partnership 2010

423 Washington St., 5th Fl.San Francisco, CA 94111t ear Teacher:Gardens are wonderful educational resources! P2 is pleased to provide thissupplemental curriculum packet as one way to enrich classroom education through abutterfly and pollinator garden. It includes exercises to expand on and enforce whatstudents have learned about butterfly and pollinator gardens, pollinators, other insects,their relatives and biodiversity.Included are: Lesson plans for activities relating to insects, ready to integrate into subject areasacross the elementary and middle school curriculum, including language arts, mathand science Extension ideas for home Background information for the teacher California State Content Standards correlationThe lessons are divided into levels, though any lesson may be adapted to a differentlevel should you deem it appropriate: pre-K/Kindergarten1st/2nd grade, (adaptable for 3rd-5th grades)3rd-5th grades6th-12th grades, (adaptable for 3rd-5th grades)We hope this curriculum packet will be useful to you and we appreciate any and allfeedback you may have. Please take 5 minutes to fill out and return the feedbackform included in the packet to:Pollinator Partnership423 Washington Street, 5th FloorSan Francisco, CA 94111Thank you for your invaluable support and encouragement for the P2 PollinatorGardening program! Teachers are our most valuable resources.Warm Regards,The Bug People at P2Copyright Pollinator Partnership 2010

TABLE OF CONTENTSP2 Pollinator Gardens and Habitat ProgramTeaching Guide Introduction and Essential BackgroundInformation (for Teachers)Supplementary Curriculum – Activities and LessonsCopyright Pollinator Partnership 2010

Pollinator Partnership’sPollinator Gardens and Habitat ProgramThe BUZZ about P2’s Pollinator Gardening Program started in 2000 with theestablishment of our first school garden at Charles Drew Elementary inBayview/Hunter’s Point. Since then, the Pollinator Partnership has createdimportant pocket habitats and unique outdoor classrooms in various settingsacross the San Francisco Bay Area. From local schools to senior centers,from hospice to community centers, Pollinator Gardens are an opportunity toenhance the urban habitat of people and pollinators while providing livinglaboratories for learning and exploring. Opportunities for learning abound as the seasons andinhabitants develop throughout the year.Working closely with teachers, students, administrators, neighbors and community members, as wellas a wide variety of local and national organizations, Pollinator Partnership creates usable gardenspaces for people and pollinators to share. Our gardens vary in size and complexity based on thegeography and resources of each school. P2 is also an active member of the San Francisco GreenSchool Alliance. Following is a list of gardens created through P2’s Gardening Program:2000 Charles Drew E.S., San Francisco2001 Visitation Valley M.S., San Francisco Tenderloin Community School, SanFrancisco Guadalupe School, San Francisco On Lok Senior Center, San Francisco Laguna Honda Hospice, San Francisco Chinatown Community Children’s Center,San Francisco Las Americas Childcare Center, SanFrancisco Alvarado E.S., San Francisco2002 Sun Shine Garden E.S., South San Francisco Leo J. Ryan C.D.C., South San Francisco Bryant E.S., San FranciscoFunding for Butterfly and Pollinator Gardening comesfrom a variety of sources including P2 Membershipand charitable donations from individuals, companiesand foundations.Pollinator Partnership423 Washington Street, 5th Fl.San Francisco, CA 94111(415) 362-1137fax (415) 362-3070info@pollinator.orgwww.pollinator.org St. Francis Pre School, NovatoThe Jewish Home, San FranciscoSt. Anne’s Home, San FranciscoNob Hill Health Care Center, San FranciscoWalden Hills Boys Group Home, SanFrancisco Marin Academy, San Rafael2003st 21 Century Academy, San Francisco Randall Museum, San Francisco Oakland Zoo Education Area2004 Eden Housing/Fuller Gardens, San Leandro San Mateo Medical CenterComing Soon Haven C.D.C., Menlo Park

TEACHING GUIDE INTRODUCTIONThe overriding theme of the curriculum is to instill in the young generationcuriosity, amazement and caring for pollinators of all kinds. These creatures areessential components to every ecosystem on earth and play a vital role inensuring a plentiful food source for humanity. The Pollinator Partnershipencourages the young generation to become stewards for pollinators and allbiodiversity protection.The material in this packet offers exercises to introduce and expand on topicsrelated to butterfly and pollinator gardening, including: How to maintain and get the most out of a pollinator garden throughecologically friendly practices Physical and social attributes of butterflies and other pollinators The importance of these creatures in the production of food and otherplant products common in everyday use The vital role organisms such as insects play in ecosystemsCopyright Pollinator Partnership 2010

Pollinator Gardens Supplemental Curriculum:ESSENTIAL INFORMATION FOR TEACHERSInsect and Pollinator InformationANATOMY Insects (including butterflies, flies, beetles, bees, dragonflies, ants, andmany others) are characterized by six (6) legs, three (3) body parts [HEAD,THORAX, and ABDOMEN], a hard EXOSKELETON and COMPOUND EYES. Mostinsects have a pair of ANTENNAE and two (2) pairs of wings.Spiders are NOT insects, but like insects and are ARTHROPODS (jointed legs, hardouter layer). They have eight (8) legs, compound eyes, an exoskeleton and two (2)body parts [HEAD and CEPHALOTHORAX]. Some spiders have URTICATINGHAIRS which they will throw at a predator when attacked. This defense stings thepredator’s eyes and temporarily blinds it.Insects grow by MOLTING, shedding their old exoskeleton and growing a new, largerone. When they have just molted, and before the new exoskeleton hardens, insectbodies are soft and vulnerable.Insects also go through COMPLETE METAMORPHOSIS. Life cycle stages are EGG,LARVA, PUPA and ADULT. Butterflies, bees and beetles are insects whose larvalforms are distinctly different from the adult form. Insects whose larval form resemblesthe adult go through INCOMPLETE METAMORPHOSIS. Crickets and cockroachesgo through incomplete metamorphosis.BEHAVIOR Insects can be herbivorous or carnivorous. Some insects are pests tohumans: mosquitoes feed on mammalian blood, aphids and scale insects infest ourgardens and wasps produce a nasty sting.But many more insects are incredibly beneficial to humans: bees, beetles andbutterflies pollinate our gardens and crops, making possible such foods as chocolate,honey, nuts and most fruits; some insects are decomposers, helping to breakdowndead material; and other insects, like ladybugs and praying mantis, feed on pestinsects. Even mosquitoes and many other insects are food for other animals.Flowers have adapted various attributes (color, scent, shape, size) to attract certainpollinators such as bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. These pollinators sip sweetnectar from the flower, collect pollen and carry this pollen to the next flower of thesame species (or in some cases, the pollinator moves the pollen within the sameflower), thus fertilizing the flower.Vocabulary Adapt – To grow and change in response to environmental conditions. Adaptation – Special body features or behaviors that help a creature survive in itsenvironment. Biodiversity – The diverse variety of life forms: the different plants, animals andmicro-organisms; and the Eco-systems they form. Usually considered at three levels:genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity. Carnivores or Secondary Consumers – These animals don’t eat plants, but feed

on animals that do eat plants. Decomposer – An animal that breaks down dead or decomposing plant materials,thus recycling important nutrients and returning them to the environment. Ecosystem – A dynamic system of plant, animal and micro-organism communitiesand non-living components interacting as an ecological unit. Endangered – Animal or plant species in danger of extinction throughout all or asignificant portion of their range due to one or more causes, including loss of habitat,over-exploitation, competition or disease. Environment – The complex web of inter-relationships between living organismsand non-living components, which sustain all life on earth. Fauna – All of the animals found in a given area. Flora – All of the plants found in a given area. Food Web – A group of interlinked food chains. In addition to herbivores,omnivores and carnivores, the food web also contains scavengers and decomposers,so that no available source of energy is ever allowed to go to waste. Habitat – A place where an animal or plant lives which provides food, water,shelter and space for survival. Herbivores or Primary Consumers – Animals that eat primarily plants. Metamorphosis – The process of change from young to adult in which the youngis very different from the adult. Migration – The seasonal, usually two-way and goal-oriented movement from oneplace or habitat to another to avoid unfavorable climatic conditions and/or to seekmore favorable energetic conditions. Native – Indigenous to and dwelling within a specific area for an entire lifespan. Nectar – A sugary fluid produced by flowers to attract animal pollinators. Petals – Colorful flower parts that surround the floral reproductive structures. Pistil – The name for the collective female floral reproductive parts including thestigma, style and ovary. Pollen – A collective name for pollen grains. Pollen bears sperm for plantreproduction. Pollen Tube – Tube formed after germination of the pollen grain. It carries themale reproductive information to the ovule. Pollinated – The condition of the flower in which the female parts of a flower havereceived pollen transferred from the male parts of the same flower, or another flowerof the same species, resulting in the production of seeds and fruits. Pollination – The spreading of pollen from the male parts to the female parts of aflower of the same species, resulting in the production of seeds and fruits. Pollinator – An animal that carries pollen from the male parts of flowers to thefemale parts, fertilizing plant “eggs” with plant “sperm.” Primary Producers – All food chains begin in green plants (“primary producers”)with a process called photosynthesis. Energy from the sun lands on plants and iscollected by chlorophyll. With this energy plants can then make sugar and oxygen,food for other animals. Seed – The part of the fruit of a plant which is capable of growing (germinating)and producing a new plant. Stamen – The name for the collective male floral reproductive parts, including theanthers and filaments. Threatened – Species, subspecies or varieties likely to become endangered withinthe foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of their range, withoutspecial protection and management efforts.